Drawer fastener



B. M. HOLDEN DRAWER FASTENER Dec. 3, 1929.

Filed April 15, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet //Yl N701? Patented Dec. 3, 1929UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE BENEDICT M. HOLDEN, OIE HARTFORD,OONNEOTIO'UT, ASSIGNOR TO THE G-RAMABBIEN COMPANY, OF HARTFORD,CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT DRAWER FASTENER Applicationfiled April 15,

My invention relates to the class of devices that are employed forsecuring drawers in closed positions, and is particularly adapted foruse to secure the drawers of so called wardrobe trunks, and an object ofmy invention, among others, is the production of a fastener that isparticularly effective and that may be readily operated for the purposesfor which it is designed.

One form of device embodying my invention and in the construction anduse of which the objects herein set out, as well others, may beattained, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure1 is a view of a portion of a wardrobe trunk shown as open and with myimproved fastener applied thereto in position for securing the drawers.

Figure 2 is a View in section on a plane denoted by the dotted line 2-2of Figure 1.

Figure is an isometric view of one of the drawers broken away toillustrate the application of my improved fastener.

Figure l is an isometric View of the lower portion of one section of thetrunk case broken away to illustrate the application of my improvedfastener.

Figure 5 is a detail view, scale enlarged, illustrating the manner ofattachment of the lock to the end of the flexible support.

Figure 6 is a face view of the lock showing its method of attachment andits engagement with the keeper at the top of the trunk section.

Figure 7 is a detail isometric View illustrating the construction of thekeepers.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 1, but illustrating a littledifferent form of flexible fastener.

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 2 and illustrating this second formof fastener.

Figure 10 is a view, scale enlarged, illustrating the manner of securingthe lock to the keeper at the top of the bottom drawer, and to thissecond form of fastener.

Figure 11 is a similar view but illustrating the flexible support andlock support in face view.

Figure 12 is a detail isometric View illustrating the construction ofthe keeper adapt- 1927. Serial No. 184,136.

ed to this second form of flexible fastener.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 5 indicates one section of awardrobe trunk, and (3 another section thereof secured thereto in theusual manner by means of hinges, my improved fastener being shown asapplied to the section or case 6 that contains the drawers 7--8 that aresecured by said fastenor. Drawer supports 9 are secured to the innersurface of the section 6 at proper intervals apart to support thedrawers for sliding movement, in a manner common to structures of thiskind.

in adapting my improved device for the purpose of securing the drawers 1provide a fastener 10 that, to attain my ends, should be flexible, andany flexible member of any suitable material will answer my purpose. Ina preferred form of construction, and as shown herein, this flexiblefastener is in the form of a chain and is adapted to be wound upon andunwound from a spool or other support 11 rotatably mounted in brackets12 secured to the back wall of the section or case 6, and preferablynear the bottom there of. This spool or barrel has a spring 13 (seeFigure 2) as a means for rotating it to wind the fastener thereon. Thedrawer 7 is cut away or opened to receive the spool or barrel, and saidopening may be closed by means of a hood 14 secured to the inner side ofthe drawer, and as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, and this hood mayextend along a slot 15 to cover the same.

A guide is spaced from the bottom of the section 6 to guide the fastenerand prevent it from catching upon the bottom of the bottom drawer, thefront end of this guide 16 having a keeper 1? to receive the fastener,and a similar keeper 18 is formed on the front edge of each of thesupports 9, and within which thefastener may be placed.

Each of the keepers has a locking slot 19 within which a bolt 20 from alock 21 engage. Elaid lock is secured to the fastener, preferably at itsfree end, which end may, therefore, be locked to any the keepers, thelink of the chain next to that havin the loci: preventing the fastenerfrom be drawn upwardly sufficient to disengage it from the til of thedrawings, so that the link 23 and the other links 24; of the chainlocated in the same plane may be readily inserted and engaged within theslots 22 by movement into said slots from the open ends thereof.

The links of the chain may be so arranged and located with respect tothe keepers that the links 25, that are disposed in a plane transverseto the plane of the links 23-24 on opposite sides of each of the links25, may be placed in a locking slot 19. In this opera tion the chainwill be so positioned that links 24 may be inserted in the slots 22endwisc thereof, but with the link 23 out of position to enter its slot22. By now moving the chain cndwise to position the link 23 forengagement with its slot 22, the links 24: adjacent to the severalkeepers will be drawn laterally to the plane of the keepers into thelocking slots 19, and the lock being now operated to engage the bolt 20with its locking slot the chain will be secured against removal of theseveral links 25 from their locking slots and said chain will besecuredandlocked to each of the keepers and all of the drawers Will thereforebe locked against opening movement From this it will be seen that thebottom drawer and the drawer immediately above it may be separatelylocked while leaving the other drawers free for access whenever desired.The drawers in fact each comprises one form of a pocket that is openedand closed by opening and closing movement of the drawer, and it will beapparent therefore that my improved fastener may be applied toreceptacles or pockets of different kinds.

In that form of structure embodying my invention, and as shown inFigures 8 to 12, the parts of the structure generally are the same ashereinabove described, the principal difference being in the form of theflexible fastener and the parts engaged thereby. In this case saidfastener is more in the form of what may be termed'a sprocket chain 26comprising links 27 and cross bars 28. A look support 29 is forked atits end within which forks the cross piece at the end of the chain isreceived, and a lock 30 having a .locking bolt 31 is mounted in saidsupport. The keepers 32 on the supports 9 have curved lips 33 to litover the cross pieces 28 and as shown in Fig ure 10. and the spacebetween the forks is such that the support 29 will substantially rest onthe keeper on the top of the section 6 of the trunk when the cross piece28 is engaged with the under surface of said keeper, and the other crosspieces are so arranged that one will be engaged with the under surfaceof each keeper when the lock is in position to secure the fastener 10 tolook all of the drawers, and as illustrated in Figure 9 of the drawings.Each of the keepers 32 has an opening 34.- within which to receive thelocking bolt 31 for the purpose of securing the support 20 to any of thekeepers and thereby, in some instances, locking some of the drawers andreleasing others.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I havedescribed the principles of operation of my invention, together with thedevice which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof;but I desire to have it understood that the device shown is onlyillustrative, and that the invention may be plied to uses other thanabove set out.

I claim- 1. A case having a plurality of pockets therein, a closure foreach pocket, extensible means attached to the case and longitudinallymovable across the closures of said pockets to lock them against accessthereto, and means carried partly by the case and partly by theextensible means for securing the latter in different extended positionsto lock any of said pockets.

2. A case having a plurality of pockets therein, a closure for eachpocket, a flexible extensible fastener permanently attached at one endto the case and longitudinally movable across the closures of saidpockets to lock them against access thereto, and means carried partly bythe case and partly by the extensible fastener for securing the free endof the latter in different positions to look any of said pockets.

3. A case having a plurality of pockets therein, a closure for eachpocket, a longitudinally movable flexible fastener for locking saidpockets against access thereto, means for securing said fastener indifferent positions to lock a single or a plurality of said closures,and means for automatically drawing the fastener into the case.

4. A case having a plurality of drawers taerein, a longitudinallymovable flexible fastener, securing means for a plurality of saiddrawers, said securing means being attached to said fastener, means forSQCLlllD the free end of the fastener in different hxed positions, andmeans for automatically drawing the fastener into the case.

5. A case having a plurality of drawers therein, a longitudinallymovable flexible fustener, securing means for said fastener for aplurality of said drawers, means for securing .the free end of thefastener in different fixed positions, a spool rotatably mounted in thecase, and means for automatically rotating the spool to draw thefastener within the case.

6. A case having a plurality of pockets carried out by other means andap therein arranged substantially in a straight line, a closure for eachpocket, a longitudinally movable flexible fastener attached at one endto said case and adapted to be extended across the closures of saidpockets to lock them against access thereto, means for securing thefastener in different position to look any of said closures, and meansfor automatically drawing the fastener into the case.

7. A case having a plurality of drawers slidably mounted therein, alongitudinally extensible flexible fastener permanently attached at oneend to the case and adapted to be extended across the fronts of saiddrawers in their closed positions to prevent sliding movement thereof,and means for securing the free end of said fastener in different fixedpositions to look any of said drawers in their closed positions.

8. A case having a plurality of drawers slidably mounted therein, alongitudinally extensibie flexible fasten-er permanently attached at oneend to the case and adapted to be extended across the fronts of saiddrawers '11 their closed positions to prevent sliding movement thereof,and a key controlled lock secured to the free end of said fastener andhaving means for locking said fastener in different positions to saidcase to secure any of said drawers in their closed positions.

9. A case having a plurality of drawers slidably mounted therein, alongitudinally movable flexible fastener permanently at tached at oneend to the lower portion of the case and movable lengthwise across thefronts of said drawers in their closed positions to prevent slidingmovement thereof, means for securing said fastener intermediate its endsto look different drawers against opening movement, and means forsecuring the free end of the fastener to any one of said former means orto the upper portions of the casing to prevent opening movement of aportion or all of the drawers.

10. A case having a plurality of drawers therein, a longitudinallymovable flexible fastener permanently attached at one end to the caseand extensible across the fronts of said drawers in their closedpositions to prevent sliding movement thereof, means located on theopposite edges of all of the drawers to engage said fastener and lock itto the case, and means for securing the free end of the fastener toeither of the former means to look any of said drawers in their closedposition.

11. A case having a plurality of drawers therein, a longitudinallymovable flexible fastener permanently secured at one end to the case,keepers located on said case, intercugaging means between the keepersand fastener to lock the latter against movement in all but onedirection between adjacent drawers, and means for securing the free endof the fastener to lock the latter against movement in said onedirection for holding said drawers in their closed position.

12. A case having a plurality of drawers therein, a longitudinallymovable flexible fastener permanently secured at one end to the case,keepers located on said case, means on the keepers and fastener forinterengaging and locking them by an endwise movement of the fastener,and means for securing the free end of the fastener to any of saidkeepers to look any of the drawers in their closed position.

13. A case having a plurality of drawers therein, a longitudinallymovable flexible fastener comprising a chain permanently secured at oneend to the case and comprising links disposed in sets differentlyrelatively arranged, keepers having means to receive the members of oneset of links for automatic engagement, means on the keepers to receivethe members of another set of links for locked engagement of saidfastener, and means for securing the free end of the fastener to lookany of said drawers in their closed position.

l l. Securing means for a closure comprising extensible means arrangedat one edge of said closure, means for securing said extensible meansagainst undesired extension, and means for securing the free end of theextensible means at the opposite edge of the closure, said lastmentioned means including a keeper and a key actuated bolt movable intoand out of locking engagement with said keeper.

15. Securing means for a closure comprising extensible means arranged atone edge of said closure, means for securing said extensible meansagainst undesired extension, and means for securing the free end of theextensible means at the opposite edge of the closure, said lastmentioned means including a keeper, a link carried by the extensiblemeans movable into and out of engagement with the keeper, and a boltsupported by the link and movable into and out of engagement with thekeeper to selectively prevent disengagement of the link from the keeper.

l6. Securing means for a closure comprising a flexible member, means atone edge of the closure for holding the flexible member againstlengthwise movement in one direction, and means at the opposite edge ofthe closure for holding the flexible member against lengthwise movementin the opposite direction, said last mentioned means comprising akeeper, a link carried by the flexible means movable into engagementwith the keeper, and a bolt supported by the link and movable into andout of engagement with the keeper to selectively prevent disengagementof the link from the keeper.

BENEDICT M. HOLDEN.

